Univision Has Fielded Interest From Potential Bidders Amid IPO Delays

By Matt Jarzemsky, Arian Campo-Flores, Sarah Rabil and Joe Flint

Univision Communications Inc., the owner of the dominant Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S., has been fielding interest from potential bidders after the media company’s initial public offering was delayed, according to people familiar with the matter.

Among the suitors has been cable mogul John Malone, some of the people said. Mr. Malone and Greg Maffei, chief executive of Mr. Malone’s Liberty Media Corp. holding company, held talks with Univision’s owners about the possibility of acquiring a significant stake, the people said.

However, the two sides were far apart on valuation, and it is unclear if a deal — with Mr. Malone or anyone else — could be reached. It is also unclear what terms were discussed.

Univision’s owners also haven’t ruled out an IPO in the first half of next year, some of the people said.

Boutique investment bank LionTree is among the advisers that have been working with Univision to help evaluate interest from possible bidders, some of the people said.

–Amol Sharma and Shalini Ramachandran contributed to this article. Write to Matt Jarzemsky at matthew.jarzemsky@wsj.com, Arian Campo-Flores at arian.campo-flores@wsj.com, Sarah Rabil at Sarah.Rabil@wsj.com and Joe Flint at joe.flint@wsj.com

Breaking the story

Matt Jarzemsky, Arian Campo-Flores, Sarah Rabil and Joe Flint were ahead of competitors with the news that Univision Communications Inc. has been fielding interest from potential bidders after a delay with the company’s initial public offering. According to sources, cable mogul John Malone is one of the interested parties, however, the two sides were far apart on valuation. Univision also has not ruled out another attempt at an IPO next year.

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